chargement...
The Barbary deer has been reintroduced to the Beni Snassen Natural Park in eastern Morocco, marking the first such operation in the Oriental region and a major step in efforts to restore the country's biodiversity after the species disappeared from the area more than a century ago.
The reintroduction was announced on Monday during an awareness and outreach event organized by the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) in Berkane province, focused on the Beni Snassen Natural Park and surrounding natural areas.
Held in partnership with the provincial authorities of Berkane and other institutional partners, the event was also marked by the signing of six partnership agreements covering the development, management and ecotourism promotion of protected areas across the province.
The agreements concern the Beni Snassen Natural Park, the Moulouya estuary and four urban and peri-urban forests. ANEF also provided financial support to several local conservation associations.
The agency further launched a project to upgrade the Tafoughalt information kiosk, aimed at strengthening environmental education, awareness and visitor services for tourists and school groups.
Speaking at the event, ANEF Director General Abderrahim Houmy said the agency updated Morocco’s national network of protected areas in 2025. Originally comprising 154 Sites of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE) covering nearly 2.5 million hectares, the network now includes 197 SIBEs, 10 national parks, 8 officially designated protected areas and 38 Ramsar wetlands, bringing the total protected area to nearly 7.6 million hectares.
Houmy added that the implementation of the Forests of Morocco 2020–2030 strategy in the Oriental region led to the creation of three new natural parks, Beni Snassen, Chekhar and Jbel Grouz, while expanding the regional network to 25 protected areas covering almost 735,000 hectares.
Covering 16,474 hectares, Beni Snassen Natural Park is home to rich ecosystems, including thuya and holm oak forests, diverse plant species, and caves of ecological, scientific and cultural significance. Between 2020 and 2025, ANEF also successfully reintroduced the Barbary sheep and Cuvier’s gazelle, two emblematic species that had disappeared from the region decades earlier.
